The sale of medical marijuana has officially begun in Mississippi, with the first medical cannabis products being purchased in Brookhaven and Oxford last week.
Nearly one year ago, Mississippi became the 37th state to allow the use of medical marijuana after the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act of 2022 was signed into law. The bill stated that qualifying patients would be allowed to receive up to three ounces of cannabis per month, or around 2.8 grams per day.
According to Ken Newburger, Executive Director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, Mississippi law allows for a lower amount per month than other states.
“It’s a little lower than our surrounding states,” Newburger stated on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. “If you look at medical programs throughout the history of medical marijuana in the United States, we’re about the middle, maybe a little on the lower end of how much you can get.”
He explained the number of patients in the state has been steadily growing over time.
“It’s been pretty smooth over the past few months. In early October, we had 300 patients and now we have almost 1,900,” Newburger said.
At this time, only select doctors can write prescriptions for patients to receive medical cannabis, making it more difficult for individuals to complete the steps required by the state to qualify.
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Newburger added that although the current number of patients in the state is low, he expects an increase in the number of interested residents as the sale of marijuana continues.
“If you take a look at other states, they also saw a larger uptick once product was made available,” he said. “There are a lot of people who forgot about medical marijuana in 2020. Once it got overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021, they kind of lost hope, but now that they’re seeing these stories… they’re starting to look at the actual program.”
To see the full interview, continue watching below.
